Dieting?????

Use the search function to have a look at threads on the military diet.

Why do you think this diet is sustainable? I have not been successful with any plan that had the word "diet" in the title. Also, everyone who lives in a home and eats and is over the age of 12 should be participating in the meal planning and preparation.

Yes, I find cooking with my boyfriend a romantic activity as well. We turn on some music, open a bottle of wine, and batch cook together every Sunday afternoon. It's lovely.

Rats! So... how about throwing stuff in the crock pot to cut down on amount of effort?

If you're having trouble sticking with it, it's the wrong diet for you. There's nothing magical about the foods on that list. Use the tools here to count the calories in your food, then build a sustainable food plan around the meals you and your family enjoy.

And to answer your question, no, I don't find it hard. I cook for my kids and husband as well. We eat taco salad ... I have fewer taco chips and pass on the cheese and sour cream. We eat steak ... I have a smaller portion. My kids eat dessert ... I skip it or have a bite. We order pizza ... I have one slice and a big green salad. Pretty easy, really.

The Military diet is kind of extreme. It would probably be easier to create a small deficit day by day, rather than a really large deficit three days of the week. Doing the latter could result in either a) binging on the days where you're not eating at a deficit, therefore achieving no real weight loss or b) developing an unhealthy relationship with food, as the effort to maintain such a diet could be hard. I usually see that diet used temporarily for quick weight loss. Such as for events, like weddings. But generally, the person has no plans of maintaining the weight loss or the dieting plan. Long term, it would probably be easier for you and your family if you took a smaller deficit daily.

When I was battling the worst of my eating disorder (which involved restriction similar to that, but daily not just three days a week), yes... I found it hard to feed others when I knew I 'couldn't' eat the food. It was stressful being around so much food, feeling like I couldn't. The thing is, you shouldn't feel like you can't. Any diet that causes you stress around food is not a sustainable diet. Now that I am trying my best at recovery, I am allowing myself to eat foods that I once would not. It is still stressful, but the more progress I make, the less stressful it is.

Make healthy meals for your family, ones that are nutritious and good for everyone. There are a huge amount of sites (as well as recipes on MFP) that you can choose from. Everyone can eat the same food and enjoy the benefit of eating healthy. Just pay attention to portion sizes. Prep raw veggies and fruits for snacks and keep on hand for the times you feel the need to munch. Worked well for me. I lost over 160# and my husband benefited from healthier eating as well. He was diagnosed as pre-diabetic in Nov 2012 and because of eating healthier, in April 2013 he was cleared by his doctor of being pre-diabetic. It was that quick. Try to make lifestyle changes that are sustainable. It benefits the whole family.